Milford Mirror

Lawmen lose early lead (boys hoop)

Tuesday, 31 January 2012 15:18

Despite streaking out to a 21-10 lead after one quarter, the Jonathan Law boys basketball team fell to host Hamden High, 73-60, on Jan. 19. The Green Dragons (6-4) outscored the Lawmen (0-11) in the final three quarters, registering five players in double figures in the Southern Connecticut Conference victory.

“We played hard,” Law coach Tim Dooley said. “We moved the ball well tonight. We really played as a team. I think we gave them too many second chances, but I thought we came out very well.

“Second half, they got hot, they hit open shots. We allowed a little too much penetration. We didn’t move the ball as well as we did in the first half. They were hitting their shots and we weren’t.”

Zack Toto led Law with 16 points, while Jokari Trueheart added 14 and Jason Bindner finished with 13.

Hamden’s Richard Kennedy finished with 19 points, while Wesley Johnson, Christian Coassin, Mike Boateng and Rob Grissett registered in double figures for the Green Dragons.

The Lawmen got off to a hot start, opening up on a 7-2 lead.

The Knights’ Kennedy started the game with a mid-range jumper, to which Toto answered with a layup.

Trueheart quickly followed with a three, before Toto intercepted a pass and sent it to Bindner in the post for the layup.

After two made free throws and a short jumper from Hamden, Toto found Bindner under the hoop again for another layup to lead 9-6.

A jump shot from Kendall Walker and a layup from Boateng gave Hamden the lead 10-9.

It was short-lived, as Dan Wypychoski nailed a three and then Brandon Williams rebounded Lavaan Worthy’s foul shot miss to spark another run from the Lawmen.

Trueheart nailed a long two, and then a three. Toto added a layup and Law looked to be running away with it, 21-10.

“We weren’t mentally in the game early on, credit to Law for that,” Hamden coach Jarrad Beck said.

“They played up tempo, they played with a sense of urgency, and we just didn’t match their intensity.

“In the second quarter, we got some shots to go and that allowed the intensity to pick up.”

Hamden got out of its funk in the second quarter, outscoring Law 21-12 and never looked back.

After Trueheart nailed a three, Hamden went on a 14-3 run with Binder registering the three points for Law on a layup and a foul shot.

Law responded with a little run of its own, a 6-2 streak started by a long two from Trueheart, a post-up basket from Ryan Clark, and a spot-up jumper from Trueheart.

Hamden finished the half with two contested jumpers from Boateng and Grissett to lead, 33-31.

In the third quarter, Hamden and Law traded baskets, with Bindner leading Law with seven points and Johnson pacing Hamden with six points.

Law answered every shot Hamden made, but three’s from Boateng were too much to overcome for the Lawmen. The Green Dragons led 49-43 after three periods.

Toto started the fourth quarter with a layup, to which Kennedy answered with a five-point swing on a three and then a steal and layup.

Law’s Sean Cameron scored on a drive, but Boateng responded with another five-point swing on a three and then a long two-pointer to make it 59-47 with less than four minutes to play.

Law struck back with a 9-4 run on two layups from Toto, a post up hoop from Wypychoski, and a layup from Jonathan Feliciano to make it 63-56.

Walker then hit a pull-up jumper to give Hamden a nine-point lead, to which Toto responded with a layup to make it 65-58 with 1:13 left.

Johnson answered with two layups, created by steals from Kennedy, to ice the win for the Green Dragons.

Hamden hit four-of-six free throws before Toto added another layup to make the final score, 73-60.

“I saw what we’ve been working on in practice come to fruition in the game tonight,” Dooley said. “Moving without the ball, passing to find the open man, taking what the defense gives you. Rebounding was a lot better.

“There are all these little things that they’re still learning and we’re still working on in practice.

“Everything is starting to improve little by little. We just need that one victory to lift our spirits.”

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